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STOCKHOLM, Sweden (5 September 2005) – The IMAGINE (Ischemia Management with Accupril post bypass Graft via Inhibition of angiotensive coNverting Enzyme) study results are presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress, in Stockholm, Sweden. IMAGINE is a post surgical intervention trial that looked at the benefits of adding quinapril (an ACE inhibitor) in the early phase (less than or equal to 7 days) after a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Patients involved in the study were on optimal therapy, receiving statins, beta blockers and aspirin.
"The neutral results of IMAGINE demonstrate that in an optimally treated, low risk for events patient population without a clear indication for an ACE inhibitor, initiating an ACE inhibitor within the first seven days after a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery may not be warranted," declares Dr. Jean-Lucien Rouleau, cardiologist, Montreal Heart Institute, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada, and co-principal investigator of IMAGINE.
"The IMAGINE study adds important information to our understanding of initiating treatment with an ACE inhibitor within the first week after a coronary artery bypass graft surgery. It was the first time that this specific patient population was studied in a large clinical setting," says Professor Wiek H van Gilst, Professor of Cardiovascular and Clinical Pharmacology, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands, and co-principal investigator of IMAGINE. "The results suggest that current optimal treatment is not improved by the addition of an ACE inhibitor for patients who do not have a previous clinical need for the drug."
The IMAGINE study was designed to look to a specific (early post-CABG) patient population. One of the exclusion criteria was a clinical need for an ACE inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) to determine the impact of initiation of an ACE inhibitor within seven days after CABG. There were no significant differences reported for serious adverse events.
"As a leader in research and development, Pfizer is committed to supporting clinical research that allows the medical community to better understand new patient populations and that improves the health of Canadians,¡± declares Doctor Cristina Calciu, clinical scientist, Pfizer Canada.
IMAGINE is a Canadian-led, international study, and it is sponsored by Pfizer.
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